At the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners’ meeting on Jan. 14, the discussion with pier operator Coastal Concessions continued regarding making amendments to the pier management contract currently in place with the county. Coastal Concessions has been under the microscope recently because of overdue payment of pier admission fees to the county. Coastal Concessions has contended since August that the financial struggle to pay the fees was precipitated by the maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of the pier. According to the contract in place, Coastal is responsible for all expenses to maintain the pier while all of the revenue or gate fees revert back to the county.
A “notice to proceed” to replace the aging Pensacola Bay Bridge will be given by end of the year if everything falls into place, says Florida Department of Transportation engineer, Kerrie Harrell. Harrell drove from Tallahassee Thursday morning, Jan. 14 to speak to the Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Andrews Institute. “My true day job right now is the Pensacola Bay Bridge,” Harrell told the audience of nearly 50 chamber members and their guests. Gulf Breeze City Manager Edwin “Buz” Eddy was also in attendance as well as Gulf Breeze Councilwoman Cherry Fitch.
Little Rock, Ark. (AP) — Debbie Strobel recalls the training it took for her spaniel mix, Lexi, to be registered as a therapy dog, and that the most important lesson, Lexi already knew.
Officials with the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater River State Forest have closed a portion of Sandy Forest Road for bridge replacement and road repair. The road is closed from Munson Highway to Charlie Foster Road.
Al Udeid Air Base, (AFNS) — The KC-135 Stratotanker fleet at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, flew more than 14,700 sorties in 2015, accumulating 103,419 combat hours in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel.
Pier managers, Scott Rayner and Stephanie Maddox addressed the county commissioners Monday. Management company, Coastal Concessions, (Coastal) is current on the admission fees owed Santa Rosa County and is seeking equitable relief on portions of their pier maintenance contract with Santa Rosa County. County Commissioner Rob Williamson met with Coastal prior to the Monday meeting to talk through the proposed changes in the way the county is doing business with its pier partner, Coastal.
Tallahassee, Fla. (AP) — The Legislature will begin its annual session early this year with the hopes of avoiding the chaos and dysfunction that marked the 2015 session and three special sessions that followed.
Two Georgia residents suspected of shopping with credit card numbers stolen from members of Eglin Federal Credit Union are behind bars after an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigator working the crimes spotted them in a parking lot.
